Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.” Matthew 28:18 NIV

I bumped into her at the coffee machine this morning,
nearly upsetting the hot Styrofoam in her hand which
might have burned her, scarred her, left her with a
painful reminder of carelessness and haste,
but I didn’t, thank goodness.

I know that her political persuasions
are not the same as mine, know it
from the coffee mug on her desk,
from the book she reads on her lunch hour,
from the radio talk show she listens to in the afternoon.

She accepts my smile and apology with a wave
of the papers in her hand, returns my smile, and walks
back to her desk, the cross around her neck glinting off
the fluorescent lights overhead.

She does not criticize my weight behind my back.
I will not ridicule her hair color to our co-workers.
In the lunch room, we both bow our heads
to give thanks to the God we each believe votes
our preferred party’s ticket.

Jesus gives us both the dignity
of being loved and treasured.
Both parts of the same body,
satisfied, both of us,
to allow our head to rule.

Sally Clark’s award-winning poems have appeared in magazines, gift books, and anthologies published by Tyndale House, Chronicle Books, Howard Books, Integrity Publishers, Sourcebooks, Adams Media, Center Street, New World Library, and DaySpring Cards. Her poetry has appeared in Relief: A Quarterly Christian Expression Journal, Weavings: A Journal of the Christian Spiritual Life and The Chrysalis Reader. Her poems have also received recognition in American Poetry Review and Poetry Magazine. Sally is a retired restaurant owner turned poet and lives in Fredericksburg, Texas. Follow her at http://sallyclark.info.